From the monthly archives:

June 2008

Ever have one of those lives? We all have blessings others don’t & curses that differ from each other but also have more in common than meets the eye. A nice example is my fairly newfound friend Charee; I’ve never been business-minded & she has better health than I but we feel a kinship, strongly relating despite our differences. One of the many things we do have in common is an appreciation for Fiona Apple who wisely asserts two states of being in her song, “Extraordinary Machine.”

“I’m good at being uncomfortable so I can’t stop changing all the time.” Always exploring, never settling, my life’s indeed a journey yet that doesn’t keep me from enjoying the various stages. As with any travel plans, delays occur. I could get caught up in the lack of progress being made or simply enjoy the detours. Part of the mystique that is Charee is her openness to life’s oddities despite a more regimented routine. Our choices direct our travel but we’re also simply along for the ride. There are those who can’t reconcile the ever-present yin & yang of all we are & do.

“He’s no good at being uncomfortable so he can’t stop staying exactly the same.” Thus, they shield themselves. The most common shielding comes in the form of preoccupation — be it with goals, busyness, problem finding & solving — the blinders stay firmly in place. If you come across someone that’s not struggling in some way, chances are they’re not delving deep enough to stir up trouble. Then there’s the rest of us.. Our war zones vary & our battles require differing armament but we’re together in the trenches.

Willing to question, provoke & change; we uncover new possibilities, recover old truths & discover ourselves. The key to navigating the inevitable upheaval is not to get discouraged for resolution’s also inevitable. We don’t need to protect ourselves from chaos so much as learn not to take it on as our own. We can take responsibility without shouldering blame by focusing on the wherefores not the “where’d I go wrongs?” Already opting to post weekly til my blog’s on WordPress, I skipped a week. Worse yet, I didn’t use that time as intended.

If there is no struggle, there is no progress.

My health had its say in that pseudo-decision, as did the need/desire to catch up on replying to comments before generating more. Alas, I only finished answering comments on the post I’d been answering the week before but they are loverly & worthy of replacing posting a week ago. Recognizing that I’m currently anemic & suffering — as my mum aptly called it — an energy crisis, I choose to continue on as I’m able; no more, no less. Despite my love of comments & replying to them, the brain fog I’ve endured for the last two weeks existed.

That’s right, it existed, it simply did. That’s all there is to it; I accept it, learn from it (I’m eliminating what processed foods I can.) & move on. Living surprisingly decently right at the poverty line still clarifies the vicious cycle poverty is. The impact on health alone is no small one; not owning a bed or being able to afford decent food keeps stamina at a minimum for anyone. Although I hate to cry “poor me,” such realities create a downward trend with my already ailing health. Since we’ve all had struggles & distractions, let’s dialog, setting our struggles aside & making our distractions worthwhile. Comments? Comments, anyone? I will answer.. eventually.. :roll:

(|_|*cheers*|_|)
“Transformation contains both change and stability, plurality and unity, movement and constancy. It has the nature of life, namely, to connect organically the polar opposites, the stumbling blocks of logic, and to unite them in an all embracing rhythm.”
~ Lama Govinda ~

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No matter how elusive luck is, we never stop seeking it &
can’t help hoping for it — nor should we. That watchfulness keeps us aware of opportunities & the hope gives us the courage to take chances. By believing in a bit of luck, we stay open to things beyond the sum of our experiences. Whether luck is something we carry within or encounter, it’s what we make of it. This was Friday the 13th & the mythos alone of such a date gives it a unique energy. What did you make of it?

If you always expect the worst you will never be disappointed.

Just as we create our own luck, we shape our experiences. Dates of personal significance also have an energy that can be tapped into, if not more so. Anything that goes awry on a birthday seems worse than it would any other day but the trade off is that the small goodnesses translate as greatnesses. :eek: Perhaps that’s why RhodesTer & I don’t make plans for our celebratory days. We keep the goals simple & let the appropriate druthers dictate the day, or days, or weeks if it’s June.

A two week distraction from me my own goals & intentions culminating on an infamously dated Friday spent almost entirely on Stickam has left me just as horribly wonderfully behind as I feared expected. The time spent offline for our anniversary led to a better balance of off/online time aka being offline for more than sleep. Once I’m not catering to a birthday boy’s whims, that may actually lead to a bit of homemaking which is no doubt what he wished when blowing out the candle.

My blog comments mean the world to me thus not replying these last two weeks was disappointing, even difficult. I’m humbled that comments were still made & I hope more will be yet as I’ll be replying over the weekend. As of publishing my first ever link love post, I promptly quit focusing on myself (i.e. this blog), leaving all the marvelous reciprocal haiku hanging. Lo, the love’s seemed a little lackluster of late (Did I forget the alliteration alert?) but your patience is about to pay off.

Too much of a good thing doesn’t necessarily constitute a bad thing. Although a bout of bad luck helped create the near neglect of my blog, it was amidst an abundance of good luck. Every yin must have its yang so perhaps it’s simply the perfect balance of luck that’s elusive. Just as we took time to celebrate recently, find your own significant ways of celebrating fatherhood this weekend — while I’m pouring myself back into Drinking Deeply — then continue the flow with a comment or two. :wink:

(|_|*cheers*|_|)
“I am a great believer in luck and I find the harder I work
the more I have of it.”
~ Stephen Leacock ~

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Energy is our most valuable resource. Our physical & mental stores of it ebb, flow & feed off each other. That’s why the attitudes we choose make such a difference; like an adrenalin rush, a determined mindset will compensate for waning physical strength. In turn, feeling refreshed will help us carry on when our minds become clouded. Since neither option is sustainable, refueling must include food for thought & thought of food. From the quick jump-starts that come in the form of a healthy snack — which does include coffee, I’ll have you know :razz: — to full-blown overhauls, we must regularly indulge in those things which feed our souls while remembering to feed ourselves along the way.

brain thinks... hand executes

That which excites the mind propels us but the momentum isn’t self-sustaining. We need to physically support that momentum to avoid running on fumes or overheating which is why rest is as important as fuel. Rather than take breaks only as needed, stay open to positive interruptions & schedule in downtime. Our lives are picture windows but made of individually framed panes. We need to step away from the pane that has our focus to bring other panes back into view. It’s from that vantage point that balance becomes possible, enabling us to use energy more efficiently. Energy is also our most renewable resource & the key to building our reserves is learning how often we each need to recharge.

Those marvelous Men with Pens addressed this need, hopefully inspiring bloggers to ask themselves if they’re just maintaining momentum or posting with motivation. I’ve always opted to post at least weeklyish & having my own computer allowed me to start posting twice a week. Better scheduled programming is brewing but, like the Pen Men, I need to focus on other panes in my window of life just now. My Anniversary prompted a couple days offline as will Rhodester’s birthday (Monday, people, Monday..) & it’s time to finish up our migration to WordPress. I’ll also be setting aside some Tivo time as my addiction to reading James’ & Harry’s Escaping Reality has reawakened my need for fiction.

What a tweet is to Twitter, a plurk sounds like it'd be to a toilet!?

Only by recognizing our own needs can we serve others’ & find the energy for either. Thus, my coffee breaks will still be spent lurking & tweeting if not plurking. I’ll no doubt need to call on those of you with WordPress experience & then on the rest of you for a break from the madness. Offline friends are few & far between for me as the connections & reconnections I have with people I’ve physically met are made possible via my internet connection too so there’s little distinction. Seeing each of you as a friend — with those who haven’t commented or tweeted my direction simply being the ones I haven’t met yet — is why I can appreciate a meme now & again. So, blame Bob or thank him:

4 jobs I’ve had

  • fashion show coordinator
  • optometrist’s assistant
  • retail manager
  • stage manager

4 movies I can watch over & over

  • The Abyss
  • Alien Quadrilogy
  • The Fifth Element
  • A Knight’s Tale

4 places I’ve lived

  • Ashland, OR
  • Hollywood, CA
  • Huntington Beach, CA
  • Palm Springs, CA

4 [current] TV shows I love

  • Criminal Minds
  • House
  • NCIS
  • NUMB3RS

4 places I’ve been on vacation

  • Paris w/weekends in Edinburgh & London
  • San Diego, CA (RhodesTer also once lived there)
  • Seattle, WA w/a hop to Victoria, BC
  • Walt Disney World (have yet to take Rhodester)

4 of my favorite dishes

  • Bagel & Lox w/capers
  • Hangtown Fry
  • Spinach Quiche
  • Spring Salad (Walnuts, Gorgonzola & Cranberries)

4 websites I [could] visit daily

4 places I’d rather be now

  • a beach w/a bonfire
  • Porterville Convalescent Hospital
  • San Francisco, CA
  • Scotland (Hi Christopher!)

(|_|*cheers*|_|)
“Love the moment and the energy of the moment will spread
beyond all boundaries.”
~ Sister Corita Kent ~

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